Carson’s Grace Turner battles for possession with a Spanish Springs defender Thursday. Carson girls soccer has four wins this season in its first seven games.
Photo by Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage.
The overarching season goal for Carson High girls soccer hasn’t changed much in the past few years.
It’s simple enough on its face, but will require the Senators to continue to gel as a team as the regular season progresses.
That goal is, of course, to make the postseason.
The Senators earned a postseason berth in 2022, but missed out on the playoffs last season after going 3-10-3.
“We just need to keep progressing and finding more chemistry and fine-tuning what we need to do to keep winning,” said senior captain Addy Morgan.
SHAPE ON THE PITCH
Carson will be in a familiar 4-3-3 this season, with four defenders anchoring the back line in front of goalkeeper Ashley Waiksnoris.
Waiksnoris returns for her senior season after earning second team all-region honors in net last fall.
In front of her will be senior captain Elayna Quintero, along with Larkin Russell, Gloria Dooley and a mix of Lily Perez, Lillian Turner and Arianna Guerrero.
After a 1-0 win over Spanish Springs on Thursday night at home, Quintero felt the team’s energy was at one of its best points of the season.
“From the last two games to now our midfield has really locked in on the ball and getting it through channels and just getting it up there for us,” Quintero said.
Morgan scored the Senators’ lone goal from about 33 yards out in the win over the Cougars and has been a first team all-region player each of the last two seasons in the midfield.
Jailey Tijerina (honorable mention) and Makayla Rabideau (second team) both return after earning all-region honors last fall, too.
“I think we need to work a bit more on relaxing on the ball and finding feet. I think sometimes we get a little too stressed out and try to boot the ball,” said Tijerina. “I think the more we play with each other the more relaxed we will get.”
Rabideau echoed her teammates’ sentiments as the Senators continue to find a rhythm moving the ball up the field to their attackers.
“I think we’ve started to figure out whether we need to play the long ball or the through ball and I think that has what’s helped us be more successful on attacking the goal,” Rabideau said after the win over the Cougars.
The three forwards up front will be Allison Peachay, Gracie Turner and Alondra Carillo.
Turner returns after an honorable mention all-region selection last fall.
Through the first five games of the season, Carillo leads the team with three goals while Peachay has netted two.
The Senators have yet to enter league play, which will determine their postseason fate, but the players feel the team chemistry and the effort is ramping up as Carson enters its most important games.
Carson’s first league contest in Class 4A North will be at home against Damonte Ranch on Sept. 17.
“Our last two games we were working hard but this game the effort level was 10 times what we’ve been seeing, and it obviously worked to our advantage,” said Quintero. “We just need to keep that energy up.”
ROSTER
Ashley Waiksnoris, Sr.; Addison Morgan, Sr.; Ashley Orozco, Sr.; Nastasia Sulprizio, So.; Lily Perez, Jr.; Alondra Carillo, Sr.; Elayna Quintero, Sr.; Dianna Torres, Sr.; Sophia Vega, Fr.; Andrea Torres, Jr.; Makayla Rabideau, Jr.; Jailey Tijerina, Sr.; Lillian Turner, Jr.; Gracie Turner, So.; Gloria Dooley, Jr.; Larkin Russell, Jr.; Allison Peachay, So.; Arianna Guerrero, Jr.
(Carson High’s Addy Morgan breaks in on net against Spanish Springs on Thursday. Morgan tallied the Senators’ lone goal in the 75th minute as Carson scored a 1-0 win over the Cougars. / Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage)